Life in Purgatory
by Hitokiri of Mibu
Summary: Two Hitokiri turned Rurouni's, the first forever serene and the second that can't stop smiling, one block of ice that is a previous Okashira and two former captains of Shinsengumi, one with a fondness for sarcasm and the other with a morbid sense of humor, all locked in a house with no way out and no way to kill each other in an after-life that stretches for eternity. Whats next?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N : ** I guess its only fair I start with this, just in case the summary wasn't clear enough.

Two Rurouni's - Kenshin and Soujiro; Okashira - Aoshi; Two wolves - Okita and Saito.

Standard disclaimers apply

**Warnings : well, its mostly friendship and humor with a tad of hurt/comfort but just the initial bits where they enter after-life is slightly angsty. (they are dying, thats the best defense I have)**

Their deaths are NOT cannon! But hey, give it a chance :)

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**PROLOGUE**

Do you believe in hell? Do you believe that sinners are burnt within its flames?

Do you believe all the men who have sinned deserve to go there? Maybe you do, but the universe didn't.

You see, fate had decided to intervene on the behalf of five men.

Each of them had taken countless lives, each of their swords were soaked with the blood of their own kind and each of them were aware of the sins they were committing but they went on and did it anyway.

Why? Because they believed in the greater good. They believed in destroying evil. They believed in protecting the weak. They believed that their souls were a worthy sacrifice to make their nation a better place.

These were men of noble intentions and good hearts. They were honorable men who deserved more than what their life offered them. So much more...

Yet would you allow such men into heaven? No, they are far too blood stained for that...

Which is where the alternative is to be considered - purgatory. A place where death at least would offer them something that which life couldn't. Peace.

However, fate does - as these men can attest first hand- love its irony; And these men, being such obvious favorites, never could catch a break.

This time too, there is a price to pay.

A seemingly simple one.

To live with each other - for eternity.

Welcome to the after life that awaited the strongest swordsmen of Japan.

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**A/N : Please do leave reviews :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N : standard disclaimers apply**

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The muscle tone of his body had almost entirely disappeared, leaving bones to jut out through his sickly skin. The man himself looked surprisingly small despite his height, not that it mattered when one was no longer able to hold oneself vertically. His brown hair had been cut when the illness began and was now a sweaty mass that clung atop his coughing frame.**  
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The men who stood around the futon seemed unsure of what to do, each of them making to move, wanting to help but not really knowing if the could do so without insulting their sick comrade. And Okita Souji, the captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi was not a man to be insulted even on his deathbed.

As it was he glared up at them with fierce emerald eyes once the coughing subsided.

"There's no need to stare, i'm only dying" He huffed.

"Save your energy Souji, we all know you are tough" Shinpachi told the younger man, a touch amused.

"And yet you all choose to have me released from further service to the Shinsengumi" He snarled, now genuinely annoyed.

"With the highest honours" Kondo pacified.

"Its shameful" Okita mumbled turning away from the men.

"The Shinsengumi has strict laws Souji, they are only ever relaxed for the most valued members. You should be proud of all you have done" Harada told him.

Okita was about to argue petulantly again when he heard someone else snort with derision.

"This is why we shouldn't take children into our ranks" Saito commented. Okita redirected his glare to the captain of the third unit instead.

"Just who are you calling a child? I'm 23 i'll have you know" He snapped.

"Then stop fussing" Saito dead panned, not bother to argue further with a dying man.

"I'm not fussing" Okita defended.

When Saito did not bother to dignify that with a comment, Okita's eyes narrowed slightly before his expression suddenly cleared.

"But if I am fussing Saito-san, then its only fair you indulge me" He said with an innocent smile.

"In what?" Saito questioned suspiciously.

"For one, you should be kneeling by my bedside with tears and praises galore" Okita suggested and when Saito stared stonily at him, the younger man, still seeming unperturbed continued.

"But that's not like you. So we can have a compromise" he offered between coughs.

The captains of the first and third unit stared each other down, engaged as usual in a battle of wills.

"This is the part where you ask Saito" Kondo nudged dryly.

When Saito didn't take the hint and Okita began to cough again, Hijikata chose to intervene.

"Just ask" He commanded only to receive a dirty look from narrowed golden eyes.

"What?" Saito questioned reluctantly, his mind coming up with many possible scenarios; none of which were pleasant. He, better than anyone knew the sadistic side to the man.

"We could address each other by first names" Okita said with a bright smile.

The men present were all fighting a smile. On the first day that Saito had joined them, Okita had used his first name only to receive a snap from the taller man. Ever since the two had been firmly on second name basis and that was regardless of how much their friendship had grown over the years.

It was so like Okita, who knew that he was one of Saito's most trusted allies (and dare he say close friend?) to still remember and press for what had been denied to him on the first day, goodness knew how many years ago. Saito narrowed his eyes further, knowing now that he had no real choice, but still not wanting to give in.

"Its a dying man's wish Saito-san" Okita added pleasantly.

Damn him for using his illness as a perk!

"Fine" Saito mumbled.

Another attack of coughs had Okita's breathing laboured and blood to trickle down his chin, but his good spirits were not so easily destroyed.

"What was that Hajime?" Okita questioned cheerily, even as he wiped away the blood.

"Shut up Souji" Saitou relented finally.

"Looks like I won one battle, even if I lost the other two" Okita said, content as he nestled deeper into his futon.

At his words, the gloom returned to the room. Only two weeks ago, they had lost at Toba Fushimi and it was common knowledge that Okita was indeed going to lose his battle to the illness….times weren't good for them.

Okita noticed the morphing expression and despite the lack of energy pushed himself up, a smile on his lips again as he attempted one last time to cheer them all up again.

"Say Hajime, since you always call me a child, I wondered if you could tell a story."

It worked. Nothing in the world would keep the men in that room from chuckling at the memory of the time when 35 abandoned children had ended up being housed in their headquarters for a week and the oh so fearsome Captain Saito had been reduced to a story teller.

"Feh" The man said, before walking out of the room stiffly, annoyance radiating off his Ki as he left.

Twenty minutes after that, Souji Okita, captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi, master of the Tennen-Rishin ryu of swordsmanship, wolf of Mibu breathed his last.

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When he woke up again, Okita felt strangely disoriented.

The sky was bright, the sunlight streaming directly at him. On instinct he shielded his eyes and pulled himself to sit up. The small task didn't take any effort and he couldn't feel any pain or soreness whatsoever.

Surprised and still not entirely composed, he continued the movement to stand before glancing down at himself. He didn't look frail and sick but entirely normal. His arms weren't thin anymore and his body was once again fit and his uniform no longer looked like it was hanging on a bunch of bones.

Is this death? He wondered even as he dusted himself. How had he come to be on the ground? Where was - wait, he was still in Kyoto? Surprised, he rushed towards the front door that seemed to lead again to the streets of the very city he protected.

An invisible barrier seemed to stop him as he reached the door. He could see past the open door but somehow, passing through it was not a possibility. Not deterred, he attempted instead to jump over the walls, only to land back on the ground. Stopped again by some invisible force.

He surveyed the sight then, trying to figure out where in Kyoto he was. But honestly, he had never seen this place and that was coming from a man who knew the city like the back of his hand.

The place stood atop a hill and guessing from the view outside, this was a shrine in the city. But what lay within the four walls was certainly no shrine now.

It was a lone house, quite large with several buildings. He supposed the one far out was the bath and a tiny shed was some sort of store area. The main building looked like it contained several rooms and judging by the size of the structure on the other side, it was a dojo or hall of some sort.

The yard was large too with several trees lining the area. He wondered if there was an exit behind the trees?

After walking around, he noticed that the forest of sorts that he had entered had a high wall that cut him off and like with the front door, he could not go past it.

Finally, another thorough inspection later, Okita came to admit that there was no way out. Of course he could still see the city beyond the walls but reaching it was apparently banned.

Still, this wasn't the death he had in mind and he was right to think this wasn't hell. In fact it seemed like just another lazy day where he had nothing to do. He glanced around again, his hands instinctively on the sword he had found on him when he woke up.

He had recognized it instantly of course. It had been his first and favorite sword, A fine Japanese Katana, one he had used for many years; broken by Hitokiri Battosai not too long before his illness began.

He lingered, watching the city for a while contemplating what to do. Well, honestly there weren't many options. He couldn't leave the sanctuary, that much was obvious and he supposed the building within the ground was meant for him to live in but it was empty and honestly too big for one man….

Not wanting to turn his back on the city he loved and protected all his life and not wanting to go in and explore the place properly yet, he did the one thing that could be expected of him. Drawing his sword, he began to train.

The first resident of the special Purgatory had entered and though he did not know it yet, he had a long time to wait before the others would join him.

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**A/N: **well, there you have it. good? bad? still want to see where this will lead? not interested at all and think I shouldn't continue? Let me know :) 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N : Standard disclaimers apply**

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Two men stood against the backdrop of Tokyo's magnificent sunset. The silence that hung in the air between them was palpable and their eyes were unseeingly set at a distance.

They had seen death often and the taller man was well acquainted with losing his men during a mission. However familiarity did nothing to reduce the impact and once again, every inch of him longed for justice, for revenge.

In his head, the last moments of Aoshi Shinamori played out again. The man had been defeated - just like the rest of the Oniwaban a few years ago - by machines. The sheer size and force of the impact had blasted the former Okashira into pieces and that sight would haunt Saito for the years to come.

_"Shinamori you fool, Don't" He had called out to his newest ally._

_The man hadn't slowed. Instead his Kodachi had swung out, used as a flying dagger to catch their target precisely on the neck. It was all Saito could see before the guns had blazed and the earth beneath him had been dislodged._

_When the dust settled again, he knew it was impossible to so much as find the pieces of the other man._

"I will go to Kyoto at first light and personally inform-" Saito began to say when a firm voice cut across.

"I'll come with you" Kenshin Himura spoke, his tone voice leaving no room for arguments.

"First light. Don't be late" Saito acquiesced before turning away, leaving the redhaired man standing alone by the river bank.

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There was no clock. He had stopped counting the days that came and went, he had stopped counting even the seasons that changed for time seemed a non-existent concept in wherever he was.

Souji Okita had discovered that to him, death was merely a life of solitude. He had learnt that he needed food and water and baths and everything normal. He now knew that training exhausted him after several hours and being dead did not mean he wouldn't fall to the ground again after seven hours of practice.

So over the years, however many they had been, he had found himself a routine. It was monotonous, but it kept his sanity. Besides, what was he to do to escape this seemingly cruel sentence if he was already dead?

Having a routine so firmly ingrained in a body that did not even seem to age anymore, he was shocked into a stupor when he heard a loud crash from the front garden. His first thought was that he must have imagined it, but after so many years his imagination had run dry. The second option was that a branch had broken off the tree there - though by what he couldn't tell.

Being too wary to even properly welcome the distraction, he walked out only to freeze halfway through. There was a man. There was another man there. Could it really be? Was he finally losing his mind? Okita stood staring as he tried to get his mind and body to function again.

Meanwhile Shinamori Aoshi stood up, flexing his shoulders as he did so. He had landed on the ground with significant force but it hadn't bothered him much. He caught the sun shining down on him in an otherwise quiet - garden?

He paused a minute to recollect what had happened. Ah, the mission he had taken with Saito to help deal with international weapon dealers. They had been at the docks hadn't they? Well he was obviously not there anymore, so the other explanation was that he was dead.

He mused on that idea for a moment. This wasn't quite what he had imagined hell to be like, infact the street outside seemed to lead into Kyoto?

At the thought of home though, his heart constricted. Misao. She was still waiting for him. But there was no doubt anymore that he was dead. He didn't remember feeling anything but he knew he had gone up against some gigantic new western gun….

While one half of him weighed down heavily with guilt, the other entertained the idea of finding his inner circle of Oniwabanshu. Yes, he had kept the four of them waiting long enough and he should find them again.

Just as he made his decision, he heard approaching footsteps. They had stopped a little distance away and Aoshi silently thanked the Gods that he still had both his Kodachi blades on his person. His hands paused before he could reach it though, for the Ki he was feeling was entirely unmasked, a surprising thing considering that it seemed powerful.

Curious, the former Okashira turned around to face a handsome man who looked to be in his early twenties. He frowned slightly at the man who was staring openly at him. He had never encountered him personally, but he knew the description well enough to know just who he was facing.

"Souji Okita, Captain of the first unit of the Shinsengumi" Aoshi said out loud when it didn't look like the man was going to move anytime soon.

His own name struck a chord in Okita's mind and he willed himself to snap out of his daze and focus. The tall dark head in front of him was wearing a Shinobi outfit and a long trench coat. He could see the sheath of what looked like a Kodachi and he could tell that the man was well trained from his ki that being despite the fact that he didn't look much older than Okita himself.

"And you are?" Okita asked, pulling himself to his full height and trying hard not to sound like this was the first time he was speaking in goodness knows how long. Thank heavens for his loud practice sessions or he wouldn't have recognised his own voice.

"Aoshi Shinamori" The man began with a slight smirk but he needed no further details.

This man wasn't just some trained Shinobi, he was the best there was.

"Okashira of the Oniwabanshu, protectors of the Edo castle" Okita continued for him.

Both men fell silent for a moment, not entirely sure how to proceed from there. Unsurprisingly, it was Aoshi that made the first move.

"I suppose I will be off then" He said abruptly as he turned on his heel.

Okita was about to shout out a warning as he watched the man head to the doors but resisted. He wanted to see if Shinamori could leave. When the man walked right into the invisible barrier though, the Shinsengumi captain sighed

Was he relieved that he wasn't the only one trapped here? Was he hoping that Aoshi atleast could pass those barriers and back? He supposed, to be entirely honest he was still too shocked at another's presence to react to much else.

When he saw Aoshi stand up and stare at thin air with an uncomprehending look, Okita stepped forward.

"It looks like you can't leave either" He offered, making the man turn back around with raised eyebrows.

"I can't seem to leave the grounds and your luck doesn't seem much better" Okita explained.

Aoshi's eyes scanned the place quickly, taking in just how large the house and the yards were. He could still see the city of Kyoto beyond the walls but it didn't look like the man would lie to him about not being able to leave.

"Why?" Aoshi asked, knowing already that the other man didn't know. Okita only shrugged in response.

So he was trapped in a building somewhere in Kyoto with yet another wolf of Mibu and this time, he had no idea why. Was he meant to figure it out? What was he supposed to do with a man who had died - hold on just a second - suddenly Aoshi snapped his head towards his current company.

Okita looked taken aback at the sudden look of disbelief that he was getting from the Okashira. The shock seemed to have turned the taller man speechless and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do except wait for him to find words again.

"Who else is here?" Aoshi questioned.

Okita frowned and searched with his Ki. He didn't feel any other presence...why was the man asking that?

"No one I know of" he answered when he noticed that an answer was expected.

"You've been the only one here all this time?" Aoshi pressed and when Okita nodded, he frowned before continuing.

"And you said you cannot leave?"

"Haven't found any way out" Okita replied.

"And you died soon after Toba Fushimi?" Aoshi checked, just to be sure.

Okita arched an eyebrow. That was blunt. Was discussing death not considered rude in after life? The other man seemed to think nothing of his question though and Okita decided to answer.

"Two weeks after, yes" He said neutrally.

"So you are telling me you have been here alone for 12 years?" Aoshi questioned disbelievingly.

Okita stared in shock. Twelve years? When had all that time passed? Surely that wasn't true...maybe five or six...no, he had seen more winters here than that...but twelve? The shock he had sensed in the other's Ki suddenly made sense when the fact was considered….

"I didn't know it had been that long" Okita admitted before further explaining "There's no clock or calendar and I stopped counting after a while"

Admitting to something that honestly to someone he didn't personally know was generally not in his nature but the current shock was an excuse enough. He saw a flicker of something in the other man and those steel eyes seemed to softer slightly.

"Aa" Aoshi allowed himself to say.

Suddenly the Okashira felt tired. He had always wanted peace, a place where he could meditate with no one to bother him and he had had that these past two years. No one troubled him during his quest for inner clarity and of course Misao didn't really count as a bother...

So this new prospect of having no obligation to time and more importantly having no bright face to bring him tea and babble on about sweet nothings did not appeal to him at the moment.

It also didn't help to know that he wasn't going to be reuniting with his men in death.

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**A/N : Does anyone actually know how Aoshi died? I'm not really all that sure about it but this happens about a year after the Shishiyo incident...**

Reviews are always appreciated :)


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N : Standard disclaimers apply.**

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He didn't know how long it had been since he sat there but the sky had darkened and the sun had disappeared. There was a stillness to his surroundings that almost made it seem like the world understood his need for the silence. He had a good lot of things to think through, delicate things he needed to handle precariously, careful decisions demanding to be made, but as he sat cloaked in the darkness, his mind was strangely silent.

Of late, he found that happened often and he welcomed it. Having had something or the other haunting his thoughts through waking hours and sleep alike, this new sense of quiet where his mind blanked out was much appreciated.

"Kenshin!"A voice shouted, impatience clearly indicating that he had already been called for a couple of times at least.

The world slid back into focus as he roused himself but when a new voice reached him, he wished desperately that he could simply stay in the minute that had already passed.

"Honestly Himura, will you quit daydreaming already?" The voice of Makimachi Misao was painful to hear.

The disorientation that came upon him was immediate and he froze. Memories of a handsome swordsman whom he had had tea with only three weeks ago came to his mind and the loss of Shinomori Aoshi hit him hard. The tentative relationship they had begun soon after Shishiyo's death had actually been nurtured into proper friendship by the young girl who was currently calling out to him at that very minute.

"Kenshin?" a gentler voice called, now a note of worry having crept in.

"Hai" He mumbled as he willed himself to move.

"Is everything alright?" Kaoru questioned, her keen eyes studying him.

He couldn't lie but he knew Saito wanted to be the one to inform Misao. As a partner on the mission that had killed Aoshi, the man viewed it as his responsibility and Kenshin wouldn't insult that sentiment.

"Oro?" He made himself say, taking the easy way out of the situation that had been sprung on him.

"You see me after all this time and the best you can say is oro? Himura i'm going to-" Misao was threatening but the words somehow did not register.

"This one did not expect to see you Misao-san" Kenshin admitted, managing a smile that he supposed would look constipated if nothing worse.

The young girl in her final year of teenage however did not seem to notice anything. Instead she smiled brightly.

"Well of course you didn't. This was meant to be a surprise" She said, sounding extremely pleased.

"This one is surprised" Kenshin managed, even as he thought fast of what he was to do next.

"Yes but I do hope Aoshi-sama reacts better than this, even the punk gave me a better greeting Himura! I'm disappointed in you. Especially considering-"

Misao was still talking and for once Kenshin was glad she didn't speak less than two sentences at a time. He needed the time to compose his next answer.

"Who are you calling a punk you weasel?" Yahiko demanded angrily.

"Does it matter? Are we going to the Akabeko or not?" Sano questioned

"How desperate are you for free food?" Kaoru asked him

While they bickered among themselves, Kenshin had decided that he couldn't put it off anymore.

"Actually this one doesn't think we should go to the Akabeko tonight" he intervened.

The opposition that met such a simple statement was profound, Kaoru even began informing him that it was his own fault for having disappeared without cooking any dinner.

"All the same, we should head back now, that we should" Kenshin said, letting a little seriousness slip into his voice.

They were quick to pick up on it and their expressions instantly began to morph again.

"Whats going on Kenshin?" Sano asked, all business.

Kenshin sighed, his exhaustion catching him off guard. This was going to be a long night...

"We should get to the dojo first, that we should" He said tiredly.

"Kenshin-" Kaoru began hesitantly

"Please Kaoru-dono" he interrupted and she immediately nodded with agreement. It wasn't everyday he cut someone off.

As one the group turned back around, their expression now much more sober as they each silently wondered what could be going on.

"Aren't you coming Kenshin?" Yahiko questioned.

"This one will join you soon" He replied.

"But-" Yahiko began to protest when he simply shook his head.

"Damn you Himura, can't you just spit it out?" Misao mumbled.

When he stood without moving, she sighed and the group once again began to move, this time much more worried. Sano however seemed to have no intention of going along and Kenshin did not have the energy to argue.

"Sano, can you please go fetch Megumi-dono?" Kenshin asked, even as he let his hair fall over his eyes.

"The Kitsune? Why? Kenshin-" Sano began to ask but the shorter man turned and began walking away.

It wasn't in his place to say anything and he supposed having Saito break the news would indeed make it easier on him. The thought made Kenshin pause for a second, the sheer absurdity of it catching him off guard.

But Sano was still watching him and he forced himself to keep walking.

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Aoshi Shinomori opened his eyes at the sound of approaching footsteps.

His current companion had allowed him his space the entire day and the Okashira had of course used it to meditate and attempt to find answers to the new questions that had come up since arriving here.

Most of them being why he was here, what having Souji Okita for company meant, where his men were, if Misao knew yet and most of all what he had been thinking when he decided to get in the line of fire.

Admittedly, the concept of his own death needed a little time to wrap his mind around and whether it was courtesy or the shock of another's presence that had kept the other man away this long, Aoshi didn't know.

But the shoji door slid open after a soft knock and unsurprisingly revealed a perfectly composed man with his ki carefully masked.

"Care to join me for dinner Shinomori-san?" He asked politely.

Dinner? Aoshi made no response. Food wasn't something you expect in afterlife but now that he thought about it, he had been greeted to the smell of something burning earlier in the morning…

Okita watched the man rise and as he turned to lead the way, a small smile tugged his lips.

He knew the other must have been surprised at the least, he had been when he first arrived but if the younger man - counting by their age during the Bakumatsu that is - wanted to remain stoic and emotionless…

Well, I could certainly use a challenge the former captain decided, completely unaware of the impossibility of getting proper reactions from the man following behind him.


End file.
